1915 Indian Quarter Eagle, NGC PF67. All proof Indian Quarter Eagles are rarities, with mintages in the low hundreds and survival rates even lower. The 1915, with a reported mintage of 100 pieces has approximately 25-35 pieces known, at most, in all grades. At any level, the 1915 proof quarter eagle is generally considered to be the rarest issues of the proofs of this series. Not only does it have the lowest mintage of the series, approximately half of the total mintage remained unsold, and was later melted. It is also very likely that during the depression, at least a few proofs were turned in at the Mint and melted as well.

This is also the last year of issue for the proof Indian quarter eagles, as collector demand had fallen from the previous years and the Mint completely stopped producing proof coins after 1916. As this would be the last issue of this series produced until 1925, it logically is the last quarter eagle struck in proof format. Demand for these 20th century gold coins has always been high, and during the last century they have proven to be excellent investor coins, steadily rising in value in all markets.

Proof Indian quarter eagles are called sandblast proofs, a name given to them because of the method of manufacturing. This only happened for the years 1911-1915, creating a distinctive proof type. This sandblasting occurred after the coins were struck, when they were still within the Mint, unlike cents and nickels which had the dies sandblasted before striking. Over the years, many sandblasted proofs have been cleaned, dipped or otherwise mistreated, making original pieces extremely rare.

The present piece, not only completely original, is also one of the finest known 1915 proof Indian quarter eagles. Fine-grain matte surfaces are seen on both sides, which are fully struck. No distractions are seen on either side, which also feature knife-sharp rims. Both sides are lightly toned to a green-gold color, highly appreciated by most collectors. A rare opportunity to obtain one of the best looking coins of this classic proof key date. NGC has graded six pieces in PF-67, with one higher. It is likely however, that only one or two PF-67 pieces really exist, and that the population reports are largely influenced by multiple resubmissions. The PF-68 would probably be an upgraded PF-67 which is included in both grades.